


Friendship

by jaimistoryteller



Series: Moments in Another Life [6]
Category: GoldenEye (1995), James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Reflection, Transgender Q, character cameos, demisexual Q
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-30 14:44:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11465763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaimistoryteller/pseuds/jaimistoryteller
Summary: Having actual friends isn’t something Q’s used to, yet it seems he has several of them now, all of which are unlikely people if an outsider was to look at it.





	1. Musing

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off the [collaboration prompts table](http://jaimistoryteller.tumblr.com/post/163334405043/for-the-collab-prompt-table-i-got-some-prompts-and)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a bad headspace day, so if anyone wants to be kind enough to leave a comment that'd be appreciated.

Q’s POV

For someone who’s never had a lot of friends in his life, he seems to have developed a collection of them in the weeks since his trip with Jared. All of which are Double-O’s. That’s the only way to describe the way the lot of them are acting. What he doesn’t understand is _why?_

From what he can tell, they barely trust him and he rarely does favors for any of them. At least as he views favors. Of course he helps the agents when they are in tight spots, even ones of their own making, that’s what he does. So why does it feel like the relationship between him and the majority of the Double-O’s has changed?

He’s drawn out of his mind by 003 asking, “Exit plan?”

He has to bite back a groan as he looks at the system he’s currently spoofing. “What did you think you were doing?” He queries curiously before changing his mind. “No, you know what? I don’t want to know!” 

She laughs softly in response, freezing in place to wait for directions. 

It doesn’t take him long to find the best route for getting out without running into too many people. 

“Right then, take a left, go down two halls, take a right, knock the guard on the other side of the door out of the running, keep going and you should make it clear of the building without further incident.” He directs her, watching her movement in the cameras as she goes to make sure nothing pops up and surprises either of them. 

Of all the Double-O’s have shown affection or friendliness towards him in recent weeks, Moore’s the only one he understands as she was the one most likely to listen to him before the little trip with Jared. 

He feels like he needs to sit down and have a word with the whole lot of them, though he is pretty sure that wouldn’t really be effective. Still, he’ll schedule something at a restaurant and see which ones if any show up. Of course he’ll invite his uncle and Alec, as both of them used to be Double-O’s and can possibly explain their behavior to him. 

Ten minutes later she’s leaving the city on a borrowed motorcycle. He has her send him the plate number and tracks down the owner to drop some untraceable money into their account with an attached note of: sorry about the motorbike. 

He switches to following her movements with a satellite. A part of him wonders how people don’t bloody realize he is borrow the damned things so much. Another part of him just snorts, because of course they don’t realize. There are very few people who can hack the same way he does, and he’s moderately certain that if he said please, his older brother would send up a few satellites just for him to use. Although his bosses probably wouldn’t take that fact very well. They don’t need to know about that little detail. 

She’ll be home by morning, perfect, does he have anyone else in the field that he needs to deal with? After a quick check, and discovery that everyone else in the field isn’t in a dangerous situation currently. Right. He can head home for the evening. He’ll make plans, tell Mallory he made the plans, and see who shows up. 


	2. Invitations

Mallory’s POV

He’s not sure what to make of the fact that Q has decided to host a bit of a dinner party for all of the Double-O’s. That invitation seems to include the rare retired ones as well. Not that a lot of the Double-O’s actually make it to retirement. Although, since taking over as Q and handling most of the unit himself, the death and major injury toll has dropped dramatically. It often makes him wonder if the young quartermaster even realizes quite how remarkable a job he is doing.

He’s been invited as well, not because he’s a Double-O, but because he is the current head of MI6. He’s still debating about whether to go or not. Part of him thinks he should, just to see which agents show up and what happens. Another part of him thinks he shouldn’t because he doesn’t wish to get close to the bunch and sharing time outside of work would do that. It’s not that he doesn’t like them, but he knows how dangerous liking them can be, just look at the previous M and her trust in Bond before he was actually ready to go back in the field.

Shaking his head, he forces that train of thought away, returning to considering whether he is going to join the Double-O’s and Q or not.

oOoOoOo

Michael’s POV

He’s rather startled when his nephew asks him to come to a dinner with the other Double-O’s and himself. Why in the world would Q want to be surrounded by so many assassins and spies? It seems insane.

His nephew had explained that there has been a change in the dynamic between him and the agents since the little rescue mission. So Q wants to talk with them about it without being in the branch as they do so. Probably because the majority of the agents don’t like being within the branch at the same time unless they are there for briefs and leaving there after.

He agreed. There is no way that he is letting his nephew deal with so many of them outside of official channels and not have more back up than just Alec. Besides, he’s curious if any of them are from his generation are still around.

oOoOoOo

Alec’s POV

He’s not fond of Q’s idea but is willing to go along with it anyways. Q is a different sort of quartermaster than the previous ones. A far different sort. It shows every time he personalizes things for the agents. When he knows what’s going on in their lives, both professionally and personally. When he spends hours, and sometimes days helping to solve a problem. The fact he treats all of them the same politeness and care.

He knows how much it’s bothers Q when the agents he is supposed to help and take care avoid or ignores his advice. There have been plenty of nights where something has gone wrong that could have been avoided had they just listened to the advice rather than following their instincts. Q understands that it can be hard for them to obey, mostly because of his explaining it, but that doesn’t stop it from bothering the dark haired genius.

He’ll dig one of his suits out since Q appreciated it the last time he wore one.

oOoOoOo

Bill’s POV

There aren’t a lot of people who realize he used to belong to the Double-O program as he was only in it for a relatively short amount of time before an injury and a desire to stay in London ruined that career path. However the previous M had offered him a different one when he went to resign.

His wife thinks it’s a wonderful idea. She’s encouraging him to go. To have a good time.

He’s still not sure if he should or not. He was only briefly an agent like them. Besides, he’s not sure it’s a good idea to have so many of them in one spot. The only thing that keeps him from thinking it’s a plot to destroy the team is the fact it’s _Q._ The hacker and boffin who makes it a point to protect each of the agents to the best of his ability.

Maybe he will go, just because it should be interesting to see how the quartermaster handles so many Double-O’s in the room at one time.

oOoOoOo

James’ POV

He’s not sure what to make of the invitation that each of the Double-O’s received from Q. While he’s pretty sure that he’s friends with Q, or something similar to a friend, he’s not sure about the others. Of course he agreed to attend the dinner.

For one thing, he wants to see who all shows up. For another, he hopes it will give him a chance to speak with both Q and Alec. He’s moderately sure the ex-spy will be there and he has decided that he’s going to try and befriend him as well.

He knows that he’s not going to win Q over into leaving Alec, that became abundantly clear as he watched them together. There is a lot more than just affection and friendship between them. They take care of each other equally. Physically, mentally and emotionally, it was enthralling to watch. Like a secret that he’s been allowed to know but can never actually touch. It makes him long for something he can never have.  

He’s decided to be both of their friends. Even if the friendship is even a fraction of how those two are towards each other, he’d feel lucky. He’s something like friends with Felix and Eve, but it’s nothing like the relationship those two have. Neither of them would walk through hell for him. He’d like to have someone he knows would come for him in hell. Even though he realizes that’s just a pipe dream due to his career path. Still, it’s a pipe dream that sometimes makes him ache.

 


	3. Preparations

Q’s POV

He’s surprised by the fact the majority of the off duty Double-O’s and the few remaining retired ones he invited all agree to come to dinner. Since there are going to be a bunch of spies in the room, he decides to make reservations at a rather nice restaurant, one that he’s partial to but is better than he often goes to.

He makes the reservations using his eldest brother’s connections, which makes everything go so much smoother. There’s some advantages to having a fake public persona that is a billionaire.

Harold has a hard time deciding if he is amused or not when he calls to speak with his brother. At least the older hacker isn’t bothered by the fact he did that. Actually, his brother offered to pay for it, which he declines as he is using some of the money from his hacking days prior to starting to work at Six.

Since the arrangements are made for the night of his short shift, R insists on staying late and promises to handle any situation or call him if something comes up that he’d be able to deal with instead.

Alec picks him up and takes him home when he gets off work because he plans to change into one of his rare suits. Harold had made sure he has excellent suits while he visited last time by taking him to the tailor and having them made. He’s almost nervous about it, because he rarely wears them and really doesn’t like formal wear.

He takes a shower while Alec is changing in his bedroom. When he’s done, he get’s takes his time drying off before getting ready. The suit is designed to give him the appearance of narrow and straight hips rather than the slightly curved ones he started to develop despite the hormone blockers as a teenager. It is also designed to make him look a bit taller than he actually is, despite the fact he’s a average height for a bloke.

With one last glance in the mirror, he exits the bathroom and gets whistled at by his significant other.

“That suit is wasted on the Double-O’s,” Alec murmurs as he crosses the space to give him a quick hug.

Smiling, he ducks his head against his ex-spy’s chest. “I’d say the same about yours.”

He really does appreciate the fine lines and cut of the suit. This one is midnight blue with a pale cream shirt. It takes him a moment to realize that the buttons are actually made of small crystals. It’s just as fetching as the last one had been. One of these days he’s going to get daring enough to ask if he can take the suit off, but that’s definitely not going to be today.

“Ready?” Alec queries, pressing a light kiss just below his ear and making him smile.

“Yep,” he agrees as he rolls his shoulders.

They leave the flat a minute later, after Alec’s kissed him almost senseless, murmuring against his lips, “You’ll have them eating out of the palm of your hand in no time.”


	4. Dinner

Q’s POV

They are the first to arrive at the restaurant. Not really surprising as they had left earlier than they needed to for just this reason. There will be probably twenty-five people here if everyone who said they are going to show does so. 

He’s not surprised his uncle is actually the first one to show up after them. Whistling, Uncle Michael comments, “Fine place you picked here Q.”

He grins, giving his uncle a quick hug, “Well, you know, some of them get so damned picky, I decided somewhere where there is a bit of everything on the menu and the cook knows a wide variety of dishes past might be a good idea.”

Chuckling, his uncle picks a spot to settle and orders himself something to drink when the waitress appears. 

“Who’s the waitstaff?” Alec queries as an older woman delivers the drink. 

“They’re all veteran staff, ones who know discretion is the better part of valor. Beyond that, they have all been offered very nice bonuses to forget tonight ever happened.” He replies as he glances over towards the door when it opens. “I should have gone with music in the background but I asked them to turn it off since I didn’t feel like any ribbing based on sounds.”

The first ones here after his uncle are Gary and Nicholas. He’s startled when Nicholas sets a small box down next to where his plate will end up. “Thanks for the invitation.” 

They then find somewhere to sit that gives them a decent view of the room. 

That seems to set the tone for how this is going to go, and he ends up with a small pile of gifts, for which he doesn’t understand. Even most of the retired agents do so as well. 

There’s a rather tense moment as Eric, one of the previous 003’s, stares at Alec as if judging him. It’s broken by the pair of them nodding at each other, and he releases the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. 

Eric joins his uncle, and the pair of them appear to have a rather animated conversation though he doesn’t actually pay attention. 

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Alec whispers in his ear, pressing a kiss just behind it, “He was just assessing whether I’m still a threat. At this point I’d say I’m only a threat to him if he’s a threat to you.”

“Dare I ask why?” he murmurs in response, tipping his head slightly and giving his ex-spy better access to the back of his neck. 

“Well,” Alec drawls softly, hot breath tickling him, “He once spent an evening with myself and James in bed when he was supposed to be on a mission. Then told the M of the time frame that his flight got delayed due to weather.” 

He snorts, trying not to actually laugh. “I’m betting you know a lot of other things as well?”

“Of course, including the fact the injury he received and was discharged on wasn’t the received the way he claimed.” His best friend replies with a snicker. “I’m the one who shot him. Of course, I have excellent aim, which is why he’s still alive when that easily could have been a kill shot.” 

Privately he finds the way the Double-O’s arranged themselves amusing. Each and everyone of them is situated in order to see everyone else in the room along with the comings and goings of the staff. 

“Now I know the finance team didn’t pony up the money for this so who did?” Emilia asks curiously, studying him with a nearly blank expression. 

“Well,” he begins, smiling mischievously, “I did.”

“How?” Mallory just about demands, brows drawing together in confusion. 

He shrugs, “I didn’t start working for Six until I was over thirty. I didn’t work for my brother but I did similar work as him.”

It’s a rather vague answer and he doesn't specify which brother he is referring to or what sort of work he does. He’s got a feeling it’s something Mallory would love to ask about but his contract does include a privacy clause, his uncle’s idea. 

They spend the evening talking and getting to know each other a bit better. At least that’s what it feels like. He learns from Nathan that the current Double-O’s appreciate the fact he tries his damnedest to keep them alive, even when they might not be listening to the directions that he gives. He also learns from 004 that they have collectively decided he belongs to them, and they’re not letting him go for anything short of death. 

It’s almost overwhelming but not because of the possessiveness of that fact but because he didn’t think they like him. 

“Of course we like you,” Anthony reasons as he names off, “You sass back, you treat all of us like people rather than tools, while ensuring we have the tools needed to accomplish anything, and you’re amusing when frustrated.” 

Sighing, he blinks before slowly nodding. “Okay then,” he replies not sure what else to say. He’s sure there is something he is missing, some important fact but he’s sure Alec will tell him later. 

The reason it feels like he’s suddenly got a bunch of Double-O’s that are friends is because he doesn’t treat them like they are expendable pawns? That doesn’t make sense to him. He didn’t know the major very well, but he’s sure that he didn’t think of them as pawns. 

Dinners a success, he decides as the Double-O’s eventually start leaving several hours later.

 


	5. Gifts

Alec’s POV

He’s amused by the pile of gifts Q received, and recognizes them as a way for the Double-O’s to show off and show their appreciation at the same time. It’s a comment on their respect for the boffin. 

“Am I supposed to open them now or later?” Q asks under his breath.

“Later, the goal isn’t the gift acceptance but the giving,” he answered with a smile. 

Nodding, the dark haired genius studies the pile speculatively. He can practically see the way Q is taking in the details and working out what’s inside each box, or suspected to be inside each box that the Double-O’s had given him. 

Dinner goes better than expected. There’s very little tension, which was surprising considering it’s a room full of alpha personalities and apex predators. Even Mallory seems alright, if a bit shocked by everything. The retired agents seem to gather together at the table with Michael, except him, and spend most the time chatting. He stays at Q’s side except when his partner is in the bathroom. 

Moore talks with him as much she talks with everyone else. Bond’s focus is primarily on Q, but the ash blonde chats with him too. The other Double-O’s seem to be paired off or in small groups. Each of them makes it a point to speak with Q at least for a few minutes. The teasing and sass flying around makes him wonder if his generation of spies, most of which are dead, would would have done as well at an event like this. 

When it’s time to go, Q once again studies the pile, expression the same as when he is figuring out a math or coding problem. It doesn’t take much to realize it’s how to get the pile of gifts to the car. Michael grins as he declares he has this under control and fetches a green shopping bag from the car to shove the gifts in. 

The trip home - and when did he start thinking of Q’s flat as home? - goes quietly. His partner is silent, head resting against the back of the seat, eyes closed as the younger man finally relaxes from the stress of being around people in a social setting. 

“I got the bag,” he comments as he parks the car. 

“Thanks,” Q murmurs, eyes opening and head tipping towards him with a fond smile. 

He smiles in response.

They head upstairs into the flat without further discussion. As soon as the door opens, Q’s cats come racing out of the bedroom to see what’s going on. Normally the dark haired genius would pick them up, or let them jump on him, but he stops them from doing so today. 

“I’m gonna go put on some sweats,” Q tells him, head ducking as if embarrassed. 

Why would Q be embarrassed? He can’t think of anything worth being embarrassed about currently. Personally he’d like to remove the suit himself but they aren’t at a point in their relationship where that’s something he can offer. 

While Q is changing, he puts some water on for tea, and finds the vodka that’s made its way into the cupboard for him.

He takes his drink out in the living room, settling on the sofa and waiting for his partner to exit the bedroom. 

Partner, it’s an accurate word for their relationship. The word that feels correct, though he still needs to ask Q about it. The one time his boffin introduced him to someone since they started, the younger man used ‘significant other’. 

He’s musing on the differences between James and Q when the younger man comes in the living room, almost throwing himself in the space beside him. 

“Was it just me or did that feel super long?” the hacker mutters as he presses along his side, nose surprisingly cold against his throat. 

“It was probably longer than anyone expected it to be,” he replies as he wraps his right arm around narrow shoulders. “Why were you embarrassed when you said you were going to change?”

There is a long moment of silence, long enough that he figure Q wasn’t going to answer him. That’s okay, he doesn’t like pressuring the genius when he’s not ready to discuss something. He’s curious but not enough to be bothered by the lack of an answer. 

“It’s not fair,” Q mutters eventually. 

Welp, that’s not an answer he was expecting. Now for some clarification. “You’re going to need to be a bit more exact. What’s not fair?” 

“You look like a present in a suit that needs unwrapped. I’m not comfortable returning the same though, and asking would be wrong cause it’s not even.” The hack replies after another long pause. 

Wait. Q thinks he’s a present that needs unwrapped? That’s a bit startling. Welcome, but startling. Why isn’t the hacker asking? Did he understand it right, he’s not asking because it’s unfair? As much as he’d like to take his time undressing the younger man, he’s aware of the fact Q doesn’t like to be uncovered in front of anyone. He’s okay with that. 

According to some of the research he did, it’s not uncommon for transgender folks, particularly when they’re new to the relationship. Though the one blog made it a point to stress that no two transgender people have the same reasoning or length of time that this occurs. It all depends on the person, the relationship, and how comfortable they are in their own skin. 

“That’s okay, you can still ask, it’s not one for one trade off.” He comments, pressing a kiss to dark curls.

Q straightens up, staring at him with wide gray eyes. 

He smiles at the younger man, lifting his left hand to light touch Q’s cheek. “Seriously. I”m good with it. Like most Double-O’s I have exactly zero shame. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a suit, or wanting to remove it.”

The hints of a smile play at the edge of the hacker’s lips, eyes crinkling as if holding back laughter. 

“That’s true, the vast majority seem to be lacking in the shame department.” Q eventually comments, snuggling back against his side. “Open the surprise presents tonight or wait until morning?” The younger man mutters thoughtfully.

“Whichever you’re more comfortable with,” he answers, wondering if he’s counted in that question or not. 

They sit in silence for a while, right up until they hear a soft thump followed by a louder one. They’re  on their feet a moment later to check on the cats, discovering that they have knocked the bag sideways and managed to cram their bodies in it with the presents, though he’s not exactly sure how. 

Laughing, the younger man pulls his phone out and snaps a picture. 

He just snorts. Such a cat thing to do. 

“Might as well open these now,” Q comments before talking the cats out of the bag and picking it up. 

He makes the hacker a tea since the water has been boiling for a while now, and gets himself some more juice. 

They spend the next hour going through everything in the bag. Q’s fingers deftly removing the paper without hardly any tearing. Personally he would have shredded it. Once everything is open, the younger man studies the variety of things the Double-O’s had brought for him. It’s quite an eclectic collection. 

Apparently the memo has been passed through the Double-O's that Q has a sweet tooth. Q smiles as he uncovers a variety of handmade candies, exotic teas, and a box of carefully packaged desserts from Turkey. There’s a collection of mugs with different Star Trek characters on them results in an almost manic grin. A wallet full of gift cards to all the chocolate factories in the city has Q laughing. The multi-tool kit and case gets a snicker that turns into a wide smile as the boffin checks to see what all tools are on it, apparently the lock picking pieces mixed in with the regular tools and easily detached and reattached are appreciated. There‘s a glow in the dark cat ball which is immediately tossed on the floor to be pounced on. The last box opened is a knife sheath and throwing knife, with a small note reading ‘for those times when you need an edge’. 

“It appears they have a good handle on your public persona.” He comments as he looks over the collection. 

Q just nods, eyes distant as if he is considering something. 

He gets up and gets them both fresh drinks since they had been finished while going through the gifts. 

He’s turning to go back in the living room when his partner is suddenly right there in the door. 

“Did you mean it?” There is something almost insecure in the younger man’s voice. He’d really rather never cause Q to be insecure. 

“Of course,” he agrees, setting the drinks back on the counter and stepping closer. “Whenever and wherever you’d like.” His voice goes low and playful as he mock whispers, “I’m a bit of an exhibitionist. I blame James.” 

Snorting, Q leans his head against his chest as the boffin starts chuckling, slowly turning to actual laughter. 

He wraps his arms around the smaller man, giving the dark haired genius a chance to just laugh. 

“I like the fact you hold me without prompting,” Q eventually states as he stops laughing, tone warm and affectionate. 

He smiles, pressing a light kiss to his partner’s temple, “I’m just happy you’re not bothered by me being a bit handsy.”

Q straightens up, studying him with warm amber eyes. Slowly, as if making sure it’s alright, the younger man’s fingers lace with his and he turns towards the opposite side of the flat. 

He goes willingly, curious to see exactly how much the hacker’s going to unwrap him. Anyway it goes, it’s going to be an interesting night.

 


	6. Nervous

Q’s POV

He’s not sure why he answered the question. Mostly because they’re honest with each other. Or try to be anyways. There are some things he’s not supposed to speak of, and there are some things he just doesn’t speak about himself.

Taking Alec’s hand is one of the hardest things he has done, but he’d like to see where this goes before his nerves decide to remind him of all the reasons this is a bad idea.

In his bedroom, he spends a minute dithering about how to go about doing this before shoving it aside and deciding to start at the top. He’s just getting ready to unbutton the highest point on the overcoat when Alec’s fingers curl around his, causing him to jerk his head up and stare.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, I wasn’t trying to dare you earlier.” His significant other tells him gently. “I own several suits so there will be plenty of other chances.”

He can feel the way his skin heats up.

“I know,” he mumbles, “I just,” he shrugs, trying to find the right words. “I’ve thought about it plenty but hadn’t expected to do it.” He shrugs again.

Alec steps closer, so they are barely not touching, head tipping down slightly to kiss the corner of his mouth, making him smile. “There’s plenty of time for getting more comfortable without having to push the topic.”

He smiles a bit more as he takes the time to actually press their lips together. It’s a slow kiss, gentle and affectionate, there’s isn’t passion behind it, but acceptance. It leaves him breathless with emotion.

They stay like for a long moment, simply breathing each other in, before Alec releases his hand and smiles at him, the upturned corners of his mouth in almost a smirk.

Feeling a bit better, though he couldn’t say exactly why, he goes back to unfastening the suit’s jacket. Once all the buttons are undone he carefully pushes it of Alec’s shoulders, catching it before it hits the ground and carefully hanging it on the back of the door. His focus is absolute as he considers the button down. Carefully, almost hesitantly, he tugs it out of the slacks before slowly starting to slip the small crystal buttons through the holes.

He wets his lips as his mouth suddenly feels dry. The light cream is a few shades paler than  Alec’s skin, a lovely contrast as if from the same color code spectrum.  As the shirt falls open, his fingers are drawn to the scars, lightly tracing pale flesh that matches the shirt for color. His mind fills in the history of most of the marks beneath his fingertips.

A sharp intake of breath has him freezing and glancing at Alec’s face to make sure that it’s still fine. He doesn’t quite get the expression on the ex-spy’s face. He knows it’s not anger, the heated look in the half-closed, pupils blown wide green eyes lets him know that.

“Alec?” His voice is soft, tinged with concern.

“It’s fine,” his significant other replies, pressing their foreheads together as blunt fingers hold his hips, thumbs slipping under the edge of his shirt to stroke the skin in light circles.

He tips his head slightly, pressing their lips together in a gentle kiss. Kissing seems like the correct response here.

What starts out chaste quickly changes into something passionate and needy, leaving him breathless and Alec trembling beneath his fingertips.

_Oh._

The realization hits him like a ton of bricks. It’s not something he had expected, or even understand. He didn’t think that he’d cause that sort of reaction. How did he cause it?

His mind goes over everything that’s happened in the last few minutes. Determining the change had come when he started stroking over smooth skin and textured scars. Why would that cause these changes? Does he need to stop? He’s enjoying the touching but will definitely stop.

Not sure what to do, he lifts his fingers away from skin, changing his plans as his skin heats up in embarrassment once more. How did he forget that Alec’s a sexual person in comparison? He definitely should have looked into what causes a reaction and then asked what the limits are.

He’s startled from his mind as Alec’s hands leave his hips, catching his hands holding them halfway between their body.

“It’s fine.” His best friend tells him, something off in his voice, it’s rougher than he’s used to but that’s not it, it’s almost fear. Why would Alec be afraid?

His brow furrows as he works through that. Is Alec taking his hesitation as rejection? Why would he reject his best friend? He frowns at the taller man, asking, “What’s wrong?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking that?” The ex-spy retorts, it’s just shy of being sneered

“We didn’t discuss boundaries and I realized I might have crossed one,” he answers, fingers curling around Alec’s.

“I’d tell you if you did,” Alec states softly, the edge fading from his voice. Amusement laces the sardonyx blonde’s voice has he reminds him, “Remember, I have no shame, that’s not just in relation to looking.”

He chuckles, his entire body relaxing as he nods.

Alec lifts his hands up, pressing his lips against each set of knuckles without breaking eye contact before releasing them.

He’s currently feeling remarkably warm, and happy, but the happy is secondary.

He’s not as hesitant, as he finishes the buttons and goes back to mapping warm, smooth skin and textured scars. Once the primary buttons are done, he switches to the left wrist to undo those, taking his time just barely grazing over fingers and palm, getting a feel for the differences and the similarities. His mind fills in the details from records for many of the marks, though not all of them. He ducks his head a bit to softly kiss the pulse point before letting go of the left hand and switching to the right.

By the time he’s got the shirt off, he notes that the slacks are a bit snug around Alec’s midsection, and it isn’t a big leap to understand why. He doesn’t really get it however.

He glances up to make sure it’s still okay, getting a single sharp nod, before he sets to carefully removing the slacks as well. He’s slightly startled at the realization that Alec’s wearing boxer-briefs, he had figured the ex-spy would be a briefs all the way sort.

Slowly his hands skim along strong legs as he follows the slacks downward. Head tipping up to glance at Alec when he hears a sharp intake of breath.

“It’s fine,” the sardonyx blonde repeats, voice a lot rougher than he’s ever heard it before.

Once the slacks are off, he lays them on the back of the chair with the shirt and jacket, not worried about the socks.

He smiles as he turns back towards Alec, eyes drifting over the older man slowly, taking in the entire picture rather than just the parts as he touched them. Alec’s handsome, he decides, he’s lucky.

“Cuddle with me?” he asks as he meets heated green eyes, worried that he might be pushing it a bit too much.

Supple lips curl in a warm smile as Alec holds out a hand. “Of course,” the ex-spy murmurs.

He accepts the hand, getting pulled close, hot breath fanning against his neck as his Alec noses lightly at the skin behind his ear.

They stand there like that for a while before he tugs his sardonyx blonde closer to the bed so they can get situated. A few minutes later he is drifting as the taller man holds him.

“Thank you for letting me unwrap you like a present,” he mumbles sleepily.

There is a ghost of contact over his temple, a barely there kiss, “Always Q.”

He falls asleep listening to Alec’s heartbeat and feeling a cherished, it’s a lot better than the nervousness he was feeling earlier. He hadn’t expected today to be a day for him to ask, but he had because of a question poised to him. Maybe he’ll try letting Alec undress him sooner than later.

 


	7. Getting Along

James' POV  
He's pretty sure that dinner went well. There was no fights, arguing, or attempting to kill each other. He got to speak with Q and Alec without it being too stressful. Since running into them at the club things have been a lot smoother. They're almost friends. 

They even agreed to invite him over one night for dinner.  That was unexpected. Of course they haven't yet, but he's been away most of the time.

He's supposed to be stuck in the country for the next week, so maybe he'll have time then.

He hadn't expected to be friends with Alec when he started this mission. Actually he was pretty sure they were going to be enemies and then they weren't. As an ex-agent, the blonde understands what is life is and how missions can go. Of course, since that rescue mission last month, he realizes that so does Q. He's found himself listening just a bit more often, though he still tends to destroy things.

He’s going to have friends. When was the last time he had a friend that wasn’t a co-worker only and he knew that they would actually be his friend despite the job? He’s friends with Felix, and while there are a lot of things he can call his fellow agent about, very little of it includes having a chance to just relax and have fun off the clock since they live in different parts of the world. He gets along fine with Eve and Bill, but makes their partner Missy uncomfortable so he doesn’t do much with them.

That leaves him on his own, which leads to him to getting into mischief, which then leads to him being sent elsewhere just to keep him out of trouble.

Three days into his forced vacation, he gets a call from Alec asking if he wants to hunt some people with him. He spends a few minutes laughing before he realizes that the older man is being serious. He ends up agreeing and they make arrangements for where to meet up.

The next twelve hours are spent tracking a man and his associates until the intel they need is retrieved at which point Alec takes them back to Q’s uncle’s place.

When they are done with Michael, Alec asks if he wants to come back to the flat for a drink.

At this point he is feeling a bit suspicious. Yes, they are on their way to being friends, but they aren’t yet. So why is the ex-spy being so nice?

“What the hell is going on?” he demands as soon as they are outside and heading towards the car.

Snickering, Alec replies, “I wondered how long it was going to take you to ask that.”

He glares at the man.

“Q pointed out that he’s not the only one who would benefit from having a friend,” the sardonyx blonde remarks, “And that it’d make sense to see if we could get along as friends.”

He nods slowly, watching the older man with narrow eyes. He’s sure there is more to it than that.

“After thinking about it for bit, I decided he was right. I used to be friends with my generation's James Bond, the one who died in 2001.” Alec informs him, startling him because he hadn’t realized that the ex-spy had known the previous one. Well, not the one right before him, that one only lasted two years, but the one before that. Why it surprises him, he’s not sure considering he knew  Alec used to be a Double-O.

He nods in understanding, querying, “What’s to drink?”

“Not tea, I love Q dearly but he has a serious addiction to tea.” The sardonyx blonde responds with a chuckle. “There’s vodka, whiskey, rum, and bourbon in the cupboard. Orange and apple juice in the fridge.”

“Sounds good,” he hums in agreement.

They head back to the flat and break out drinks and cards. Spending the hours playing whatever game they feel like, with the ante of questions and honest-ish answers for the winner. He actually loses track of time, but is having a blast, thinking  it’s a lot like playing with Felix.

It’s three am when Q get’s to the flat, stopping just inside the door and staring at them.

“Figures that once you decide to go with the idea, you immediately do so.” The boffin comments before shaking his head. “Hello Alec, James.”

Rising from the seat across from him, Alec crosses the room to give Q a quick hug, and light kiss. “We’ve been playing for questions.”

Snorting, the younger man just smiles fondly at them. “Don’t let me stop you, I’m showering and crashing in bed. I don’t work in the morning.”

He suddenly feels like he should be going. He doesn’t belong during such an intimate moment.

“Goodnight Alec, James,” Q tells them, kissing the sardonyx blonde on the cheek before heading towards the bedroom.

“Finish the round we’re on, or are you bolting?” The ex-spy asks as he returns to the table.

He glances between Alec and the door the boffin had just slipped through, “I’ll finish another round.”

“Excellent,” the older man just about purrs.

Some reason he’s sure there will be more than just one more round played out.


	8. Cuddling

Alec’s POV

He spends hours playing cards and drinking with James. There are several times it feels like he’s in the past. This James though, is a hell of a lot different than his. For one thing, the young agent is shorter than him. Both have blue eyes but of such variant colors it’s hard to even say they are both blue. His James was dark haired and cocky, this James is light haired and plays at cocky but the only time he truly is is during a mission. There is the submissive streak he’s noticed. The loneliness that sometimes makes this one lash out. The inability to keep anything permanent in his life had caused issues too.

Now the younger agent is sprawled on the sofa, sleeping off being rather wasted while he cleans up the mess and heads towards the bedroom to curl around Q.

He’s pretty much moved in, everything he owns of importance and the majority of his clothes are here. It’s not official however, and they still spend occasional nights at his mostly barren flat. He’s got a feeling it will be a topic of discussion during their already planned conversation regarding their relationship.

He snorts quietly as he slips in the room.

He had left his bottoms on the dresser by the door. So it doesn’t take him long to undress and change into those pajama bottoms. When he is by himself,  he would sleep in just his pants, but since joining Q in bed he has taken to wearing bottoms for the younger man’s modesty.

“Al’c?” The dark haired genius mumbles, “Come hold me while you brood.”

He snickers, crawling into bed and just holding still for a moment. He’s gotten used to the way the smaller man sprawls, throwing a leg and arm over him, head on his chest or shoulder depending on how Q is feeling.

Sure enough, in under a minute Q’s situated himself and he wraps an arm around narrow shoulders. Kissing the nearest temple and just breathing the younger man in. Times like this he feels lucky, he never expected to have anything more than friendship with the younger man. He’s still not sure why Q asked him to kiss him, not that he was saying no since at that point Q was back to himself. He never did lecture the genius on that stunt, figured it wouldn’t do too much good, ‘cause he knows Q would do it again if he felt he must.

As he lays there relaxing his thoughts drift back to the man sleeping in the living room.

This James might not be his James, but that doesn’t mean he can’t like the man. He’s not his type, but they can be friends. Yes, friends, and maybe, depending on how it develops they’ll end up in a poly relationship with Q. Because he still hears and sees the longing in the younger spy’s voice every time the dark haired genius is mentioned. Not that Q notices. The hacker is excellent about not reading social cues when they are about him.

He’ll cross that bridge when they get there. For tonight he gets to hold Q to himself and doesn’t have to share. 


	9. Morning Time

James’ POV

He wakes up to the smell of coffee and the sounds of sizzling bacon.

Where is he that there is coffee and bacon?

His eyes open slowly, discovering that there is lowlights and no sunlight despite the fact he’s pretty sure there should be sunlight. He’s sprawled on a sofa, and it doesn’t take him but a moment to remember the previous twenty-four hours. It definitely hadn’t gone as expected.  Everything from the stalking to drinks and cards to passing out after having way more than he probably should have. He’s not exactly sure how he ended up on the sofa, the end of the night is a blur, he’s pretty sure that Alec won  the drinking games.

He stretches, sitting up and blinking a few times as he realizes the windows covered with heavy drapes and the room is lit by fairy lights.

“There’s coffee in the kitchen,” Q informs him, seated on one of the armchairs with his legs thrown over one armrest while his back is against the other. He’s holding a cup in his hands and has a laptop balanced on his lap.

“Thanks,” he mumbles as he stands up, the dull throb of a hangover making him inordinately pleased by the lack of bright lights.

“How do you not have a hangover?” He queries when he spots the other spy cooking casually. There seems to be quite a spread in the making.

“I’ve got years of practice on you.” Alec answers with a sardonic smirk. “Although I don’t drink as much any more.”

There is a mug sitting in front of the coffee pot waiting for him. He downs two cups of the strong brew before he doesn’t feel like he spent the previous evening drinking heavily. “Want some help?” He offers as he watches the sardonyx blonde cooking.

“Not right now,” Alec replies, waving him away.

He wanders back into the living room, settling on the sofa and watching the way Q is alternating between drinking his tea and typing.

“Before your first cup of Earl Gray, huh?” He asks, remembering their first conversation.

“This is my second cup,” Q responds without looking away from the computer.

He chuckles, glancing around and taking in the little changes.

He’s considering getting up when a large ball of orange gold fluff lands on the sofa beside him, staring at him with knowing amber eyes.

“That’s Ember,” Q informs him, setting the cup on the table beside him without actually looking. “Smoke is somewhere around here, he doesn’t like strangers all that much.”

He nods, watching the ball of fluff staring at him.

“Foods done,” Alec announces, drawing him from his staring contest with a cat.

“Perfect,” Q hums in pleasure as he stands and sets the now closed laptop in his seat.

His eyes are drawn to the way the pajama bottoms hang low on the boffin’s curved hips. Curved? His eyes narrow as he watches the way that the younger man heads towards the kitchen, getting a feeling he’s missing a bit of information. It’s not the first time he felt that way, he’s got a feeling it won’t be the last considering how tight lipped Q can be about himself.

“I told Harold I’d call today, he’s insisting I see our doctor.” The dark haired genius comments as he makes himself a plate.

“I’m surprised he didn’t insist sooner.” Alec replies as he joins them in the kitchen.

“You don’t see a doctor at Six?” He asks curiously, startled since he knows how much the quartermaster suggests the agents see medical after missions.

“No. I share a doctor with Harold. Unfortunately the woman is rarely here, so most the time it requires trips to New York in order to see her.” Q replies as he turns away from the counter.

“Why?” It seems odd to him that the genius wouldn’t see the medical staff provided by their job when their staff is trained to be discrete. Of course there are things that the Double-O’s don’t want in the record, which is why they don’t like seeing them. Could it be the same? What would Q not want on file?

The younger man just shrugs, heading into the other room and settling at the dining table that they played cards at the previous night.

“All three brothers are intensely private.” Alec tells him as he passes a plate for him to use before joining Q.

He nods, understanding the unspoken, ‘That question isn’t going to be answered’ within the statement.

He fills the plate, pours another mug of coffee, and joins the other two in the dining area.

“You’re still invited for dinner one of these days,” Q informs him as he picks at the food on his plate.

He smiles as he hums, “Thank you.” Meaning it for more than just the invitation.

Sharp gray eyes study him for a moment before the the younger man replies, “You’re welcome.”

He wouldn’t mind this becoming a more regular thing. It feels almost right being here with Alec and Q. There is a quiet acceptance that he likes. Maybe it’s the thin bonds of friendship, but he has a feeling it’s something more. He just doesn’t know exactly what. 

**Author's Note:**

> Publishing schedule, I will try & update one or two stories on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. For the 007 Fest there will be at least one Bond related story each day of the month of July. 
> 
> Tumblr about my writing [JaimiStoryTeller](http://jaimistoryteller.tumblr.com/money) and recently got a twitter to post about drawing & writing @jaimist0
> 
> I love reviews, comments, and any other sort of communication, feel free to stop in to say hi


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